Success stories

EBRD and EU open up trade opportunities for winery Vinaria din Vale By Volker Ahlemeyer Moldova ’s wine-makers are only partly known in European countries. And yet they can look back on a proud 4,000-year-old tradition of cultivating grapes in the country’s river valleys. It is thus not a surprise that Moldova boasts some enormous wine cellars, including the world’s largest, Milestii Mici,...

by Nina Tsintsadze With joint EBRD and EU credit line, Fashion House Materia tailored its business to meet EU standards “Materia” means fabric in Georgian, without doubt a winning name for a fashion house based in Tbilisi. The local brand offers its customers the premium clothing line Materiel and more affordable products under the Dots line. The company also works closely with the government of...

BMI LLC , a copper manufacturer in Azerbaijan, has successfully adapted its financial statements to comply with international standards, all thanks to funding from the European Union (EU) under the EU4Business Initiative, combined with support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). BMI LLC has been operating in Azerbaijan since 2005 and specialises in the production of...

Domen Druk , a printing and packaging company from Ukraine, has managed to boost its export sales, enter four new markets and increase turnover by an impressive 30%, following EBRD efforts backed by funding from the European Union (EU) under the EU4Business Initiative. By penetrating new international export markets and producing positive business results, this EBRD project has helped Domen Druk...

Businesswoman Valentyna Sukacheva knows how to deal with the hard stuff of everyday life. She is the Director of the metal service centre ‘STB’ in Chernigiv, a city in the north of Ukraine. Since the prolonged post-Soviet stagnation, Chernigiv has struggled economically. However, businesswomen like Valentyna, who has run a business in the rolled metal trade for over 20 years, are working hard to...

With funding from the EU, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) helped a Belarussian clothes manufacturer develop brand strategy and expand its own retail chain, increasing sales by 30%. The company, Mark Formelle , established in 2009, designs, produces and distributes cotton garments, sleepwear, underwear and other specialty clothing such as thermal wear. Despite rapid...

Kiev travel agency improves website and extends client base Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ukraine account for a large majority of private sector employment and help drive much-needed stabilisation and economic growth. The EBRD, with support from Sweden and the European Union under its EU4Business Initiative, works to strengthen this important segment of the economy with tailored...

In order to provide modern water treatment solutions for households and businesses in Ukraine , the EBRD is extending a US$ 3 million loan to Ecosoft, the country’s leading producer of water purification equipment. The investment will strengthen inclusion by providing customers with access to clean water at affordable rates. Inclusion is one of the six transition qualities defining the EBRD’s...

Dr Vardanush Petrossian, a medical doctor with a specialisation in nutrition, has always dreamed of running her own healthy food-focused café. Using her own savings, she opened the Ingredient Café. Now, with the support of the Women in Business Programme, funded by EU4Business, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Sweden, Vardanush’s café is expanding. The Ingredient...

Thanks to an EU-funded course on financial management, hairdresser Turkan Panahova is now the proud owner of her own successful beauty salon. Turkan Panahova, a young hairdresser in Azerbaijan, was struggling to make her business work. Although business was good, she had trouble finding the best way to manage her money and grow the business. Thanks to a two-day EU-funded financial training course...